Vibrating shaver elements have been known for some time. Traditional electric razors, also known as dry shavers, are used without water, soap or shaving cream. Although such dry electric shavers provide a satisfactory shave many believe that the shave provided by an electric razor is not as close as a wet shave.
Wet shavers traditionally use soap and water or shave cream to soften the individual hairs of the beard of the user. The water and soap soften the individual hairs of the beard to make them much easier to cut.
There have been many attempts to provide an oscillating wet shaver, so as to combine the beard softening action of a wet shave with the oscillating cutting element of the traditional dry electric shaver. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,354 describes an oscillating wet shave razor that includes a miniaturized motor and a battery in a handle, the motor rotating an eccentric element within a head portion of the handle to provide oscillation at the blades of the razor. Other vibrating razors are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,046,249, 5,794,342 and 6,481,104, and in WO 2004/073940. The complete disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,046,249, 5,299,354, 5,794,342 and 6,481,104, and WO 2004/073940 are incorporated herein by reference.
Vibration at the surface of the razor blade cartridge is desirable because such vibration has a tendency to massage the skin and isolate the facial nerves from the discomforts of shaving. Moreover, the vibration imparted to the cartridge has the tendency to reduce the coefficient of friction between the cartridge and the face of the user to facilitate shaving comfort.